Data processing systems, such as computer systems, often include a drive system which can read information off of optical disks such as CD-ROM disks and CD-R disks, and CD-RW disks and DVD disks. Further, these drive systems can write data such as digital computer files or audio files, to these disks when the disks are writeable, such as CD-R and CD-RW disks. Typical existing data processing systems which provide these capabilities typically use an application program which is separate from the operating system of the computer system and which provides the necessary instructions and control for writing data to these disks. It will be recognized that the term “burning” is often used to describe the process of writing data to such disks. Examples of such software programs include: Toast from Adaptec of Milpitas, Calif., as well as DirectCD, also from Adaptec and the program EasyCD Creator also from Adaptec of Milpitas, Calif.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a typical method in using one of these programs such as the program known as Toast which runs on Macintosh computers from Apple Computer of Cupertino, Calif. The method of FIG. 1 begins in Operation 10 in which the CD burning software, such as, Toast or EasyCD Creator is launched on the computer system. This typically means that the user has double clicked on the icon representing the program or, through some other technique, has selected the program for execution on the computer system. Then in Operation 12, a window appears on a display device on a computer system, which window provides output from the CD-burning software and also allows for input from the user. In Operation 14, the user may drag and drop files and/or folders from the computer system's desktop interface (e.g. the Macintosh Finder desktop graphical user interface or the Windows Explorer graphical user interface which appears on so called Windows computer systems) on to the window for CD-burning software. Then in Operation 16, the user typically selects a burn command and the computer responds in Operation 18 by prompting the user to insert a blank CD-R disk or blank CD-RW disk into the CD-R or CD-RW drive system. After the insertion of the disk, the system burns the CD-R disk or CD-RW disk by writing files and/or folders onto the CD-R or CD-RW disk, and then the system will typically eject the disk. While a software program such as Toast allows for a Macintosh computer system to burn CD-R disks and CD-RW disks, the user experience with the program in certain respects does not match the user experience with a Macintosh when a blank media is inserted into a drive system. For example, when a blank floppy disk or a blank Zip disk is inserted into a drive system of a Macintosh computer system, the computer system will automatically in response to the insertion recognize the insertion of the blank media and ask the user to select, from a window, between the ejection of the media or the further use of the media, which may require a formatting of the media. In the case of Toast, the insertion of the blank CD-R or CD-RW disk will not result in such window interface. Furthermore, if the user does select, from the window, to use the disk rather then to eject it, an icon representing the disk will automatically, in response to the selection of use of the disk, appear on the desktop interface of the Macintosh. At this time, the icon on the desktop may be directly used to write data to or remove data from the media (e.g. by dragging and dropping operations or by cutting and pasting operations as are well known in the art).
The software program DirectCD does in some respect provide further functionality beyond Toast by recognizing automatically the insertion of a blank CD-R or a blank CD-RW disk into a drive system. However, this software uses a non-standard format in burning data and burns the data as the user instructs the system to copy files to the disk.